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Remains found in Clackamas identified as girl, 13, missing since 2007

Bones were found last week in shallow creek bed in Clackamas greenway area

Human remains found last week in a shallow creek bed near S.E. 124th Avenue in Clackamas were identified late Friday as those of a 13-year-old girl reported missing in October 2007.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said Saturday morning that the girl, whose name was not released, had been diagnosed with manic-depression and was getting counseling and medication for the condition at the time of her disappearance.

When the girl's parents reported her missing from the family home on Oct. 18, 2007, they noted that a large quantity of pharmaceutical pills was also missing, the sheriff's office said.

The remains were found June 15 in a designated greenway area between businesses and residences on the 13200 block of S.E. 124th Avenue in Clackamas. They were identified from dental records after investigation by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division, detectives, forensic evidence technicians and the Clackamas County Deputy Medical Examiner's Office.

Although the sheriff's office didn't give suicide as the assumed cause of death, it was indicated by information about youth suicide rates released Saturday in connection with identification of the human remains.

According to the sheriff's office, suicide was the third-leading cause of death among young people in 2007, with the rate for those aged 10-14 being 0.9 per 100,000 people. The suicide rate among young people greatly increases with age: for those 15-19 it was 6.9 per 100,000 in 2007, and for those 20-24, it was 12.7 per 100,000.